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JAMES Melif'itUGrI-ILIN AND CHARLES W. JONES, OF DUNCANNON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN ORS TO THEMSELVES AND WILLIAM C. KING, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 67,443, dated August 6, 1867.

IMPROVED RAILROAD-SWITCH.

TO ALL WHOM 1T MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, JAMES MCLAUGHLIN and CHARLES lV. JONES, of Dnncannon, in the county of Perry, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Self-Acting Railroad-Switch; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and usc the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming,r part of this specification.

The drawing represents our improved self-acting elastic switch applied to a railroad main track and siding.

The invention relates to an improvement in the construction and arrangement of railroai'l-switches, which consists in connecting elastic rails on a main and side track in such manner that the wheels of a locomotive and car shall move the rails by springing them apart parallel with each other, and thus connect the ends of the rails on the main and side tracks, as hereinafter more particularly described.

On a main track formed of stationary rails a a, the switch is made by means of an elastic rail, a", the free end of which abuts vnaturally against one of the straight stationary rails a, and is connected with a shiftingbar, b, to throw it out oi' line with the main-track rail a, and into line with the diagonal stationary rail c placed between the rails a a of the main track. The end of the elastic rail a is held down upon the chair cl by means of.M two cross-bars, e c, under which the shifting-bar b slides and is kept in place; andlon the side-s of the rail a. are guard-pins 'n n which allow it to move back and forth sidewise, in line with either the rail a on the main track or the'diagonal rail c, as hereinafter described. The. shifting-bar b extends under an elastic rail, 7c, of a side track, and is pivoted to one end of av lever, m, which is pivoted upon a cross-tie, 9;, and bears with its other end against't'ne side of the elastic rail k. This rail 7c is-i`astencd at two points firmly by spikes s s on each side, while between these two points are guard-pins t t, on one side in the line oi' a curve shown in red to support the rail when pushed against them by the wheels of a locomotive or cars to operate the switch for passing oi and on a siding.

It will be seen that when a locomotive is let in on the side track at the main-track switch, with the wheels on one side running on the diagonal rail c, the wheels on the other side of the locomotive will bear against and press the elastic rail c up against the guard-pins s s to the curved linc shown in red, when the lever m will move the shifting-bar b and shift the end of, the elastic rail a in line with the diagonal rai-l e, as shown in red, and thus operate as a. switch to guide the locomotive from the main track to the siding by its own action. After a. locomotive or train has passed the elastic rails will resume their original position, and thus place the rali a again in connection with the rail a of the main track. The switch, therefore, is always in place on the main track, except when moved by the passage of a locomotive on or oti'of a side track in the manner described. The elastic switch may be applied to-single or double rails, and the elastic rails may be made of lsteel or iron, as desired.

Having'thus described our invention, we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- An elastic self-acting railroad switch, arranged and operating substantially as herein described. l

JAMES MCLAUGHLIN,

CHAS. W. JONES.

Witnesses:

ROBERT L. BRANYAN, I. J. HOLLAND. PHILIP J. TAYLOR, EDWIN MAcEn,

} for C. W. JONES. 

